Raisin stemmer



E. E. STANLEY. RAISIN STEMMER. APPLlcATloN FILED APR.26.1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.'

- E. E. STANLEY.

l RAISIN STEMMER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2e. 192|.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

exi

Jij Ver? of.

E, 15in/Mey Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-j EDWARD sfrANLEY, or Erri/inra?, IDAHO, assitance, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, `tro CHESTER F, STUDLEY, OF SONOMA, CALIFORNIA.

'Raisin sTEMMER,

raisin-stennners in which the fruit, after subjection to ythestern-detaching ei'eet of a` coacting cylinder' `and concave is, Atogether witli'the detached stems, vadvanced into the sphere lofaction of a blast of air to blow theV stems fronr the raisins.

ln inachines'of this type, the endeavor has been to present thexadvancing mass or aggregate ofV raisinsy anddetached stems, in a layer-like form, tothe action of the airblast l whereby j a vseparation is effected according 20 Y tortheirfdifferent coe cients of but 'owing partly to the nature ofthe fruit, and

partly to. the restricted zone of application' ofthefblast, the best results havenot been attained, it being found in practice that the agitation of the mass, due only tothe meM` chanical `shaking of the advancing'table, is not sufficient toplaceithe layer, with respect tothe-'relativepositions of its components,

' in such `conditionas `to cause the airblast to act distinctivelyjupon the 4lighter parti-r cles., The consequence'is that, due to the vinsuii'icient spreading out ofthe mass, and the complete intermixture of its components,

' many ofthe raisins are blown over with the stems, thereby requiring re-running and subsequent manipulation. l

- The object ofl my invention is to produce a more complete separation of the raisins and detached stems and other foreign particles, and this l attain by a more ehficient spreading of the mass into a relatively thin layer, and its subjection in successive Zones first to an air blast of relatively loiv velocity sufficient only to nieve the lighter particles to the top of the layer,and, second, to an airblast of highervelocity suiilcient to carry olf the overlying lighter particles rvithi out'materially affecting the heavier ones.

ll/VithV this object in view, my invention consists in the novel raisin-stennner which l shall now fully describe by refereiice to the accompanying' drawings, in lwhich-- Y f Fig. l is a top plan view, broken, of my Y Specification of Letterslatent.

Application :filed April 2G, 1921. Serial N0. 464,588.

Patented Apr. 4, i922.

Fig. 2is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. 4 v r l y. F 1g. 3 is a detail plan View,.enlargediandf broken, of a portion of the perforate section of the table 5.

lFigze is a section on theline Ki--flof Fig. 3. i

Fig. 5' is a section on the line 5 5 of F 2.

Fig. blower `on the line 6,-6 of Fig. 2. s

, l indicatesparts of the general `frame of the machine. 2 is the rotatable stemming y cylinder and 3 is the stationary concave, both cylinder and concave being of the usual construction-With W1re-mesh surfaces. las Yindicated.L e indicates afeed` guide tosupply the l raisins tothe space between the cylinderv and l 6 is `aflongitudinal section offthe concave, through which said spacetheyf are carried .by the rotation of the cylinder, and

their sterns .detachedxbylfriction. In 1na chines of this type,"it;i`s usual to break .up the clusters andtearcff `many ofthe cluster stems by suitable means operating in advance of thel cylinder, so that/inthe concave, the stems `detached are ichieiiy. the small or cap stems, thouglnof course, any unde. tached larger stems or broken portions thereof will also be torn 'oli'. Y

The cylinder discharges the aggregate Inaterial composed; yofy i the fruit, theV detached and broken up stems of, all kinds, and for-I4 eign particles', dust, chaff, sand, etc.. di-4 rectly upon the receivingend of a table 5, suitably mounted for vibration, as, for eXe ample, on a swinging link 7, Figf; said table having avibrating motion, in the direction of its length, imparted to it by suitable rneans, as, for example, by the eccentric 7 and connecting rod 7", as shown in Fig. 2; The table 5, according to my. invention,has several distinctive or novel pecularities. One is its superficial shape,` which as seen in Figs. i and 5 consists in its Widening out or flaring fan-like, from its receiving end. The table .is bordered by side flanges 5', and its surface is preferably, though not essentially, provided with diverging'guide cleats 5, to better effect the equal distribution and spreading' out of the inass of material ing over it, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. vAnother feature4 of the table 5 is the division of its surface' into transverse zones or sections, the first of which, nearest loo the cylinder, andl indicated by 5 is imperforate, the second indicated by 5" is perforateand the third shown at 5 is a grating composed of parallel spaced fingers.

i 5 The perforated zone or section may be of which face the cylinder, with the shorter vlnllsaslightly elevated, as in Fig. 4.

llisan air blower, located below the table 5. This blower, thou h it may be of any flfclwrcter, is, in its pre erred form, as shown i. in F ig. 6, composed of a pair of encased Yalignedandepaced fan rotors 8, each adapted to take in air from each end,.and having yindliixilaivenes23 so arranged 'that the air .takenlin Willi-be. directed centrally in each rbtongand thus equail;` distributed' in volume, throughout thezlengt y of the blower. `ilfilhetldischarge#aperture 6 of the blowerY (Figi, 2)which asseenin Fig; 5 extends the fullwliength. ofthe lblower casing, communicasifivith a `double delivery passage. One oihenb, indicaitedbyr and whichi is de walls widens Vout to include at its i appwvextremity, the whole areaotth'e pery fm'atenoneorsectionltof the table, `under whichit lies;` 1 -See Fig. 2.` i Y i `'ilil'le other `delivery(passage of the blower is theftvindtruiikilq which, atits upper end, opens out. below and'includes in its sphere of U ptioiilthe gratefection `5 of the table 5, .2 u valve flap 10 controls the relative volurnes of air permitted in the passages 9 andlt'l.V

111 is a baliieboard beyond the table 5. This hoardis hinged at 11', Fig. 2, for. adjus'tment as required, lis a hood over the Vsections 5b and 5 of table 5.` l1 `It@ is receiver for the raisins, from which they maybe carried by suitable means to their destination.

vThe operation of lows.

The `material having been, as previously stated, subjected Vto the stemdeta'ching ac-V tion of the cylinder and concave, is delivered uponthe imperorate section 5a of the shaking table 5. Upon this table, due to its movement and its flaring shape, the material at iiince begins to advance and Gradually to spread out into a relatively-thin layer, the guide cleats 5 assisting in this effect, and giving an equal distribution. The shaking of the table tends to lighten up the mass, but

not suiiiciently to materially alter the positional relationof its components; but as it the machine is as fol- `mi` reaches the perfrate section or zone 5b of the nature or a punchedV plate,

table,- it encounters the current df air rising through said section from the air passage 9. This current, due to its relatively extensive delivery is of low velocity, insufficient t blow the raisins off, but ample to so agitato the mass and lighten it up as to oat, as it were, the lighter components, namely, the stems, dust, chaff, etc. to the top of the la er and keep them there. In this condition he materialthen reaches the grate-section 5 75 of the table, and here meeting `with the air current of reater velocity frum the Wind trunk 10, t e stems and foreign particles are blown away over the baille board 11, while the raisins drop from the table` inw thereceiver 13.

Sand and other relativel heavy smalllfoi'JV eign particles,which may e in the material, are not likely, no matter what may be the special character of the perforated section 1.86 of the table, to drop through into thewindipassage, as. the airrcurrent Willpreventthis g` but with the special fermer perforation which l` prefer Vand hereinshow` mich psi" ticles will ride `up on and over t e elevat walls of the narrow slits, andwi'll'becarrid thereover bytheir momentum and by the air A current and will not fall through.

1l Ina raisin-s`temmer, the combination 95 l a table to which an a` gateof iasin'erndi i l their detached stems sfedJ and upon'whblw it is advanced, said tablebeing perviouir` y air; fmeans for directing a `:c'urrent"infiil'ii from below, through said table, uponidadll aggregate advancing thereon Asaid einem; rent having velocity, adpteditio rlooselr iup? .the massy and carry the stemsl tu thetop;

and means .for directing `anothfzr `current 0f` air from below through said tublein uponlid mass ina regionV beyond the sphere ofthe first current of air and of relatively higherv uns` velocity, adaptedto` blowsaid stems away.`

from the raisins. 2. In a raisin-stemmer, the combination 0f 11o a table to which an aggregate of raisins and Ytheir detached stems is fed and upon which it is advanced, said table being rvious to air, and from its receiving end ating to a wider width in the direction of its discharge` end; means for directing acurrent of nt' from below, through said table, upon said aggregate advancing thereon said air curmnt having velocity, adapted to loosen up the mass and carry the stems to the top; and means for directing another current of nii'- from below through said table uponfsad mass in a region beyond the sphere ofuthe first current of air and of relatively higher velocity, adapted to blow said stems nwl'syV from the raisins. i 3. In a raisin-stemmer, the combination of` a table to which an' aggregate of raisins and their detached stems is fed and upon Whith it is advanced, said table being perviene` `to 130 ail', and from its receiving end flaring to a Wider width in the direction of its discharge end; divergent guide cleats on the flaring table; means 'for directing a current of air from below, through said table, upon said aggregate advancing thereon said aircurrent having velocity, adapted to loosen up the mass and carry the stems to the top; and means for directing another current of air from below through said table upon said mass in a region beyond the sphere of the lirst current of air and of relatively higher velocity, adapted to blow said stems away from the raisins.

4. In a raisinstemmer, the combination of a table to which an aggregate of raisins and their detached stems is fed and upon which it is advanced, said table having at its receiving end an imperforate section, a perfoi-ate section following said imperforate section, and a grate section comprising its discharge end, said table flaring in width from its receiving end to its perforate section; means for directing a current of air from below through the perforate section of the table said air-current having velocity, adapted to loosen up the mass passing thereover and carry the stems to the top; and means for directing another current of air of relatively higher velocity from below through the grate-section of the table, adapted to blow said stems away from the raisins.

5. In a raisinstemmer, the combination of a table to which an aggregate of raisins and their detached stems is fed and upon which it is advanced, said table having a gratesection .comprising its discharge end, and a section in advance of said end which is perorated with narrow slits, the edges of which, lying nearer the receiving end of the table, are slightly elevated above the table surface; means for directing a current of air from below through said narrow slits of the perforate section of the table said aircurrent having velocity, adapted to loosen up the mass passing thereover and carry the stems to the top; and means for directing another current of air of relatively higher velocity from below through the grate section of the table, adapted toblow the stems away from the raisins.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' EDIARD E. STANLEY. 

